


The Unexplainable Truth

by belivaird_st



Category: Carol (2015), The Price of Salt - Patricia Highsmith
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-13
Updated: 2020-04-13
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:27:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 480
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23633086
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/belivaird_st/pseuds/belivaird_st
Summary: Carol and Therese spend another visit with their difficult family.
Relationships: Carol Aird/Therese Belivet
Kudos: 30





	The Unexplainable Truth

“Will you show me what the Easter Bunny got you?” Carol patted Rindy’s hand outside the front yard of her in-laws’ New Jersey mansion home. She watched Rindy leave quickly in a turquoise playing jumpsuit with yellow duckies embroidered around the pant cuffs. Her hair was pulled back with a headband she got from her purple woven basket.

Therese wrapped her bare arms together as she stood next to Carol. She glanced over to see the men playing a game of horseshoes in the center of the circled driveway. Harge was playing with his colleague, Cy Harrison, and John Aird, his father. He took a swig of his cold beer and took a couple steps backwards in a white open collar shirt, gray trousers, and tweed hat. Cy had muttered something that got both him and John Aird erupt with sheer laughter while taking a throw during his turn. 

“Would you like to join them?” Carol playfully nudged Therese along. “They could use a fourth player.”

“No, I couldn’t,” Therese shyly declined. 

“I’m sure you’d beat them all in a heartbeat.”

Therese grinned and kept watching. 

Rindy emerged back out with a wooden paddle and string attached to a rubber ball. She held it up for Carol, who took it, and tried giving it a few hits. She missed the ball a couple of times, sending Rindy into a fitful of giggles.

“Good try, Mommy!”

“Show me how it’s done, sweetheart,” Carol smiled, handing the toy paddle back to her.

Harge’s mother stepped out with tall glasses of powdered iced tea. She passed the two drinks over to her ex-daughter-in-law and the young lover. 

“How was the drive coming here?”

“Fine. We saw a few horses on the way.” Carol took her glass and held it with two hands. 

“We know most of the farmers that own them,” Mrs. Aird bragged. 

Rindy was now trying to give Therese the toy paddle. Therese took it from her and swung it, whacking the rubber ball, perfectly. She began counting her hits inside her head.

“Fourteen,” she announced soon after. 

“Holy moly!” Rindy outburst. 

Carol shifted her feet, feeling Jen’s brown eyes on hers.

“How’s that furniture store of yours? Still up and running?”

“Yes. We are still in business. Sorry to disappoint you,” Carol sniffed.

“I most certainly wouldn’t want to see the likes of you and Therese struggle,” Jennifer smiled.

“What exactly do you mean—‘the likes of us’?”

“Well, you know,” Jennifer said.

“I don’t think I do. So please, Jen, explain your choice of words.”

Suddenly a faint, metal clang comes from the horseshoe game with an uproar of cheers from the men. Jennifer Aird abruptly leaves the porch to go over and embrace her husband, who was rubbing his shiny forehead with a handkerchief.

“That’s right, run away,” Carol muttered, clicking her teeth at the older woman’s behavior.


End file.
